Episode Archive

More than 1500 episodes* on just about any kind of thing you can think of. Collectively, we call it “stuff.” There’s definitely something in here that will pique your interest.

*We did the math once and listening every minute of every day, it would take more than a month to make it through the catalog. And what a month that would be!

The Strange Story of Lysol

October 3, 2024 43 min

The Lysol we know now is sold as disinfectant only. But at one time it was also marketed as a means of birth control. Listen in today to the twisted history of this common household product. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Flower Power

October 2, 2024 11 min

What we equate with acid, hippies, and garish polyester prints actually began as a theatrical way of protesting bans on free speech and the Vietnam War. When the hippies got hold of it, it definitely transformed.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Shadow Biosphere: Is There Other Life on Earth?

October 1, 2024 42 min

As far as we know life evolved once in the universe – here on Earth in the form of life as we know it. Could life have originated in other conditions with different raw materials? If so, we may be sharing the planet with lifeforms we don’t recognize yet.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: Rosa Parks: Agent of Change

September 28, 2024 50 min

Rosa Parks finishes out our Black History Month episodes in grand fashion. While most know her from that fateful day on the Montgomery city bus, she actually had a long life as an advocate, protestor and agent of change. Join us via this classic episode as we celebrate one of America's great history makers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Judas Priest Suicide Trial

September 26, 2024 48 min

A greatest hit of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s came when the metal band Judas Priest was put on trial for the suicides of two teens. While the case was preposterous – based on alleged hidden satanic messages in the music – it arose from a real tragedy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: The SS Ourang Medang

September 25, 2024 11 min

We love our ghost ships here at SYSK and this is one of the better ones. But did it really even exist? Not likely. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four Eyes Good: The History of Glasses

September 24, 2024 50 min

Glasses as we know them have only been around for a few hundred years. So what did people do before this? And how did things change once spectacles were on the scene? Listen in to find out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Government Shutdowns Work

September 21, 2024 52 min

Every year Congress decides how the federal government will spend money. Simple enough, but in practice politics tend to mess it up. Sometimes it gets so messy the budget doesn’t get passed and parts of the government shut down. Then the hurting begins. Learn all about it in this classic, always timely episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Slick: Not the Cartoon

September 19, 2024 48 min

There's a good chance that if you don't live in San Antonio, Texas, you may not know who scientist/adventurer Tom Slick is. Today we tackle the story of the most interesting man you've never heard of. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: The Killing Stone

September 18, 2024 9 min

The Killing Stone looms large in Japanese folklore, so when it split in half in March 2022, people were worried it would bring devastating effects in its wake. Except... they really didn't.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Searching...